The city of Atlanta has scored a victory in its ongoing war with an open meetings and records watchdog lawyer.

In its opinion released July 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta upheld a lower court's summary judgment order siding with the city in Matthew Charles Cardinale v. City of Atlanta, a lawsuit filed by Cardinale, who since 2007 has been fighting Atlanta for allegedly violating the state's open records and open meetings laws.